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Sunday, November 30, 2008

Yesterday, I met Dianne, Susan and Rueben to worm Patrick's sheep. We set up those great green panels he has -- the ones that just hook into eachother -- into two pens, a large one and a small one. We put all the sheep in the large one, then packed the small one full of volunteers. Then three of us got in there -- one to catch, one to worm, and one to spraypaint the butts as they are done. Worked out real well and we were able to get through all of them pretty quick. There were a couple of technical difficulties with the equipment, but we managed to get through it and get everyone taken care of.

Then we set up a couple of panels and worked dogs. I worked Echo a couple of times, and it was amazing to see how all of the things we've been doing just come together.

Early in training, Patrick told me he didn't want me laying her down. Well, I don't think I ever actually taught her one, and the few times I've been laying her down, I'm just nagging her into it. I hate that. So while she was fetching, and the fetch was all off line, I tried to lie her down so I could get a good square flank off her, and she wouldn't take it. So I ran my fat ass out there and got all over her for it. Her down was much better the rest of the time.

However, later, I lied her down, then asked her to walk up, and she was reluctant to do so, so she got in trouble again.

Yes, not fair. I need to pay more attention to that. I also need to trust her more. I would like to be able to have an "on the dime" down on the fetch, but I need to learn not to lie her down on the drive. And perhaps turn it into a stand. (I keep forgetting to work on that.) She knows what the hell she's doing. I am finding out how different this all is than what I was used to.

Thank you, Dianne, for having the patience with me. I'm trying. Really, I am. Keep on me. I'll get it.

Something that would be really helpful is if I actually sant down and read the rules. I don't think I've ever done that.

Anyway, I have tons of stuff planned for today, so hopefully I will get some of it done.

Friday, November 28, 2008

Had to fill the truck up before I left for Janie's house. What a pleasant surprise! (My son hid his head in the truck while I did this ... I'm such an awful mother, aren't I?)

Across the street:

Got to Janie's around noon or something. I was so excited ... there was NO wind! (If you know Janie's house, you know this is a rare event!) There were gorgeous clouds, but the sun made it a habit to peek through consistently through the day and would warm your back. Just lovely. I think even the sheep were enjoying it.

Echo and I worked on her driving ...

And more driving ...

Actually, what we were working on was her inside flanks, but the only time I could get photos while working her was when she was just driving ... :-)

Or fetching sheep to me on her outrun ...

Or peeling sheep off me to start the drive ...

The sun made snapping photos kinda fun. I love this one:

And this one (despite the butts):

Janie worked Roy quite a bit. Worked on his outrun and stuff.

Is this what people mean by "sheepdog"?

Colleen worked on Reena picking sheep up off a setout person. If that setout person was Janie, Reena wanted nothing to do with it. Switch out the set out person and she did great! So as long as Janie isn't setting sheep at whatever trial Reena is running, she should have a nice outrun! LOL

And it looks like I was half asleep as I loaded the edited photos to Photoshop this morning. I am missing a couple of Echo, several of Reena and several of Zip. Will have to fix this when I get home.

But here's Zip helping set. He's gotten so patient in his later years. He's makes a real nice setout dog. I don't have to say much to him.

Food was wondful! Janie and Kirk cooked all day, and their son Jim and his girlfriend Rin (short for "Katherine") made the yummy potatoes and awesome pies! I can't thank Janie and Kirk enough for welcoming me to their home and sharing their family with me.

Thursday, November 27, 2008

(Ok, this is probably some of the sappiest shit I have ever written, but man ... it was a long time coming and it felt good to write it.)

I know that when people normally think of Thanksgiving, they think of lots of food, lots of family, and lots of partying. It's a little different for me. I think of the stragglers, the orphans, if you will. I am one. My son and I are the only ones from my whole family up here. I am very fortunate to have a lot of really great people in my life who, when I say they are my friends, I mean that with every fiber of my being. Janie and Kirk have been taking my son and I in for the last three years around the holidays, and I am really grateful to them, for it makes getting through the holidays much more pleasant when you're around people you love.

There are plenty of people in the world, though, that arean't as fortunate as me. Something I think about quite often is forming a "Stragglers' Thanksgiving." Finding a nice facility, advertising it, and then providing all the food and comforts of home, and people can come and meet and drink and be merry. This wouldn't be a homeless thing where donations would be accepted. You'd sign up ahead of time and pay a fee. It would be an annual retreat per se. And hopefully people would enjoy themselves enough to return the following year. Last year's photos would don the walls, video of the festivities taken and shown in later years, and each year, people would see some familiar faces and hopefully meet a bunch of new ones. But the key is, they wouldn't be sitting at home alone around the holidays thinking about what used to be, and wishing of what it could be.

Everyone has lost someone in their life, and knows the pain associated with it. I lost my mother at the end of 2005 and, as many of you know, I am still having a hard time dealing with it. And I imagine I will for the rest of my life. My mother was everything to me. She was a pillar of strength, yet gentle as a lamb when need be. She made lots of people laugh, but could make them cry in an instant, or make them wish they never crossed her. Someone called me "complex" the other day ... and I took that as a compliment becuase it instantly made me think of my mother. There has never been a more wonderful woman that has ever walked the face of this Earth, and if I strive to be a mere 5th of what she was.

While I don't have my mother anymore, I do have all of the great memories of our time together. Some day I will be able to go through the box of photos in the garage, and maybe even hang a few of her up. I don't think I'm there yet. In fact, the thought scares the shit out of me. So forget this thought. Back to my original thought. It always makes me so sad to talk to someone who doesn't have as great a relationship with their mom as I did with mine, doesn't have a relationship with their mother at all, or never had the opportunity to know their mother. If I could have one wish for those people, that would be where my wish went. I am very thankful for the many years I got to share with my mother, my teacher, my leader, my protector, my confidante, my cheesecake partner, and most importantly, my best friend. I am proud to call her my mother, and honored to be her daughter.

Oh shit. It's only 7:00 in the morning. Can you imagine what kind of day this is going to be?

When I was growing up, Thanksgiving was a bit of a zoo. Lots of activity, but it was a lot of organized chaos. My mother would be busy cooking dinner, and I'm sure I was hanging Scott Baio posters in my room or some stupid thing. My dad would come visit, and bring his mother (my "Nana"). Nana was a wonderful person also. With five kids in my family, there was always some sort of fight to be had on Thanksgiving. A lot of it I didn't understand back then, but I understand it more now. We were your typical American family. The food was always yummy, the table was beautiful, and my mother was at the center of it all. The matriarch of the family. Divorced mother of 5 raising them all on her own. My dad would come by and visit once a week, acting almost as if he could solve the week's problems in a couple of hours. Despite the conflict, I was still able to manage to have a pretty close relationship with my dad as well -- although very different from that of what my mom and I had.

I watched as my mom raised us five kids, and then when I was 17, she moved us out of New Jersey to Arizona. I thought I was moving to sand dunes. But Arizona was gorgeous. And then out to California. Mom stayed in California for many years, and when she retired, she went back to her beloved Arizona. She planted herself in Quartzsite. I know she would rather have been further in to Arizona, but she was just over the border and stayed close enough, yet far enough away and that was how she liked it. I forgot where I was going with all this. Oh yeah, I remember.

Once I had Justin, I started to see a glimpse of what she had going. I was 19, left Justin's father, and was raising Justin on my own. By comparison, when I was born, my mother was going through a divorce, and had a newborn baby (me) and 4 siblings. Jeff would have been 13, Judy 10, Jack was 8 and Jill was 5. If that was me, I would have jumped off a cliff. Not my mother. She trudged forward with the confidence and grace to handle any situation. She made no excuses, loved her children to the best of her ability, and provided for every one of us.

Justin got older, and she was always there for me to consult and to guide me through this child-rearing experience. I always had her to go to. She would calm me down and get me to think clearly and figure out the answer on my own. If it wasn't for her, I am sure I would have made some very poor choices over the years. I did anyway, but it could have been oh so much worse.

Now that mom's gone, I have even more respect for what she did in her life. Justin graduated high school and I was nothing but a pile of tears -- feeling as if some major event had happened n my life and wasn't sure I was going to make it through it. Then I remembered that my mother went through that not once but five times. Five times. Amazing. And now ... I am having a real tough time releasing Justin's wings and letting him fly on his own, yet my mother had the strength to do it not once, but over and over again. I wish she was here to guide me, but I have to believe that it's because of her that I am finding some semblance of strength through this.

So what do I have to be thankful for?

My health and that of my friends and family.

My son. He's a great kid ... just going through a tough age. But he's got a heart of gold, and once his maturity catches up to him, he'll have the confidence to show that.

My brother and my sister - two awesome people and I wouldn't trade them for the world.

My friends, for this world would truly suck without them.

My job ... and thankful for that more and more everyday now.

My dogs. Thankfully, I never have to repay them for all they've done for me. I don't know where I'd find that kind of bank.

And I'm sure there's a million other things, but I think I covered the major ones. I think I shed enough tears through this to be able to enjoy the day, I hope. Going out to Janie's to work the dogs. Taking the turkey my boss smoked for me, and will add that to the slew of food Janie and Kirk will have prepared. I am really looking forward to seeing her and her family and spending time just enjoying life for the day.

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

So ... I have a dog who knows how to open my chain link gate. Mr. Zip. If he feels like letting himself out to come hang out on my front porch, well, he just hops right up there, flips the latch with his nose, and then leaves the gate wide open for all those who care to join him.

I outsmarted him though. I took an "S" hook and put it through the hole. He hasn't gotten out in a couple of weeks.

Tonight, when I let them out into the backyard, I looked to make sure the "S" hook was secured because I had been through that gate a couple of times early in the afternoon. All was fine.

Dinnertime comes, and I open the back door. Normally I have 12 legs, 3 heads, and 3 tails come barreling past me. Nothing. I stick my head out into the yard and ... my gate is open and the dogs are gone! Not that big of a deal when you have herding dogs, and sheep in the back pasture. So I whistle. 12 legs, 3 heads and 3 tails come barreling toward me from my neighbor's yard. Apparently they'd been herding the rabbits ... again. Poor things. Well, they're not that poor. They live in a condo of sorts that my neighbor built for them. But they still don't need harassing, and I gave Mr. Zip a ration. The bigger problem is now I have to get a more substantial clip to go through that hole. How he got that one out of there is beyond me. But my guess is the dogs were running loose for about an hour before I noticed anything. Poor bunnies.

Anyway, Katy and Eric came over with Scout and Zeke. Katy's handling and her timing are really looking good. Her confidence is obvious, and Scout is really respecting her much more. She is calm, she has time to think, she's practicing what she's learning and it's all coming together for her. Katy's dedication is really paying off, and all the hard work is starting to really show. With that said ... and without taking a morsel of anything away from her ...

Our trainer. She is amazing. Her ability to teach the person is incredible. This summer, I had an opportunity to help a few people get started. I was not confident or comfortable doing it, despite the fact that everyone said they learned a ton. The first lesson I took with Dianne ... and watching Dianne work with the people I was just working with ... made me realize ... immediately ... the difference between a "trainer," and a "good trainer." I always steered toward training the dog. Dianne trains the person -- and she's really really good at it. She has the patience, the kindness, doesn't make you feel like a spaz, is willing to explain it 14 different ways until you understand it, and will work on something with you until you "get" it. Sure, her bubble is as big as the moon with our dogs, but that's not what we're there for. Yes, she could train our dogs in a heartbeat, but what would be the point of that? We're there to learn how to do it ourselves.

In watching Katy from my vantage point tonight, I was really happy for her. It wasn't that long ago that it was clear to see like she felt like she had 2 left feet and her dog didn't give a patooie that she was there. Tonight I told her that it's starting to look like she's "dancing" with Scout. And I love seeing it. And I know Dianne does too.

There are a lot of people that hang their "trainer" hat out there, but does that really make them a trainer? You can belong to several different organizations, but does that a trainer make? For a long time, I thought, "Is there really that much difference between training for arena trials and training for field trials?" "Does it really matter who I train with? The concept is the same."

This year I started working Echo. Here's a clean slate. Early on, I decided to go train with the "big hats" and try to pretend I knew nothing and see it through from the ground up rather than putting a second dog through my novice mistakes. While arena trials are fun, they are nothing in comparison to what I'm doing now. Holding three dog-broke, course-trained sheep against the wall and doing a controlled escape around a horse arena one day, and the opposite direction the next ... I am appalled that people not only make breeding decisions on their dogs ability to do this, but are also hanging their trainer hats out on it. I guess for most herding breeds, like Corgis or something, it's probably fine. But Border Collies are capable of much more and should be held to a much higher standard. So I've decided to go for it. I'm stepping out of my comfort zone and going to people who not only have experience in but are very successful at trialing at the highest level. I couldn't have made a better decision. And I can't thank my trainers enough for the time, patience, expertise, and friendship they have extended. I am very lucky to have them.

Monday, November 24, 2008

El Caminito del Rey (English: The King's little pathway) is a walkway or via ferrata, now fallen into disrepair, pinned along the steep walls of a narrow gorge in El Chorro, near Álora in Málaga, Spain. The name is often shortened to El Camino del Rey.

HistoryIn 1901 it became obvious that workers at the hydroelectric power plants at Chorro Falls and Gaitanejo Falls needed a walkway to cross between the falls, to provide for transport of materials, and for the inspection and maintenance of the channel. Construction of the walkway took four years and it was finished in 1905.

In 1921 King Alfonso XIII crossed the walkway for the inauguration of the dam Conde del Guadalhorce and it became known by its present name.

The walkway has now gone many years without maintenance, and is in a highly deteriorated and dangerous state. It is one meter (3 feet and 3 inches) in width, and is over 200 meters (700 feet) above the river. Nearly all of the path has no handrail. Some parts of the concrete walkway have completely collapsed and all that is remaining is the steel beam originally in place to hold it up and the wire that follows most of the path. One can latch onto a safety-wire to keep from falling. Several people have lost their lives on the walkway in recent years; after four people died in two accidents in 1999 and 2000, the local government closed the entrances. However, adventurous tourists still find their way onto the walkway to explore it.

The regional government of Andalusia budgeted in 2006 for a restoration plan estimated at € 7 million.

For those of you that know me know that I am not a politically correct person, been told I'm unapproachable, bitchy, hard-headed, tough as nails, etc. Yes, I guess I pose a tough exterior. I don't mean to, and often times wonder why people tell me that when they first met me they were intimidated, etc. I am as insecure as they come, but I guess growing up the youngest of five children, I had to fight for what I believed in. Over the years, I have been trying to learn to pick my battles. So I have two things that I am very passionate about.

1. My Friends

My friends mean the world to me. It's as simple as that. I will go to the ends of the Earth for you. I wouldn't think twice of defending you, protecting you, helping you, etc. I enjoy spending time with you, learning from you, sharing with you, laughing with you, and experiencing life with you. I am not here to judge you, criticize you, talk shit about you, or look down on you. You'll never have to guess how I feel, either. And you all know who you are. To me, you are the greatest people alive, and I would never do anything intentionally to hurt any one of you. Period.

2. Dogs

Here, I thought about saying, "My Dogs," but it's deeper than that. There is a huge dog population problem here in the States, and it's a shame what a disposable society we have become. Having done rescue for many years, and hearing all of the lame excuses people give for giving up dogs ("His hair doesn't match the carpet," "We're moving and can't take him with us," "He's nipping our kids' heels' as they run by him," etc.), it has me jaded to some of the pet population. Seeing all of the new "breeds" being created ("Doodle Dogs" in particular -- Labradoodles, Airedoodles, Aussiedoodles, Doxiedoodle, Schnoodle, Rattle, Rottle, Scoodle (ok ... this is really getting a bit ridiculous, isn't it? These are actual names!), etc., I am a bit burned out on some breeders also.

But I am as passionate about my dogs as I am about my friends, and because I talk to my friends about issues that bother me about dogs and breeders and such, but I have also really enjoyed writing about stuff here on my blog, I do not want my friends feeling that I am in any way dissing them here on my blog, or talking about them, because it's an issue we have discussed in person or on the phone or in an email a few days before. Often times, I'll touch on a subject with my friends, but because I have no life, live alone, and my thoughts wander when I am cleaning my house or whatever, I like to write about them. That's it. So if there are any of my friends out there who are offended by anything I ever type here because I have unknowingly or unintentionally offended them, please please please talk to me about it. I am happy to take down anything offensive or objectionable and am open to discussing whatever you'd like.

Saturday, November 22, 2008

Katy and I went out to Dianne's this morning, and then Dianne, Katy, Susan and I went to the desert with all the dogs.

I'm working on getting Echo's inside flanks. Despite the clinic and the confidence it gave me, apparently I still wasn't raising the bar enough. I was happy to get a few steps of the "come bye" inside flank (the problem side) with her and would focus on other things. Dianne came out and showed me how to really do it, and got Echo sweeping from one side to the other. Of course, when I took it over, it wasn't nearly as pretty but it was happening enough for me to see how it works. I will probably need Dianne to show me another couple of times to get my timing right and to really make sure I know what I'm looking for and such ... but I was on cloud 9 with what I learned today.

I need a real camera. I handed my camera off to Katy and asked her to video it. My camera is not capable of anything quality at this distance, and when you're zoomed all the way in, moving just a hair one way or the other seems like you're sitting on a hammock with a videocamera in your hand. Thank you Katy for taping this. You did a great job with my crappy camera!

The ride home was a kick in the pants. Here's what we ran into. Of course, like the tourist I am, I had to hop out and get some photos, etc. I was all too conscious of where the Pyr was because I quickly realized that getting out and standing out in the open might not have been the best idea I've managed to come up with in the last ten years or so. I guess he figured out I couldn't be too bad considering we had sheep with us! LOL

Katy ran Scout and did an awesome job! If she hasn't already, I am sure she'll blog it and hopefully post the video I gave her. :-)

Friday, November 21, 2008

"President-elect Barack Obama hasn't even gone to the pound to get his long-promised puppy for daughters Sasha and Malia, but when it arrives, there will be a present awaiting the fur ball. Milk-Bone tells us that it will provide a lifetime supply of the doggie treat to the new first family. Why? Well, says the firm celebrating its 100th anniversary, "to welcome the first pup to the White House." The firm adds in a release to us: "Milk-Bone, the iconic pet snack brand that is celebrating its 100th anniversary by recognizing Milk-Bone Moments, wishes to congratulate the new first family on the historic moment that occurred Tuesday night and their commitment to future pet parenthood by offering to supply the family with a LIFETIME supply of Milk-Bone dog biscuits. The Milk-Bone brand takes an oath to keep the presidential pooch-elect stocked with as many dog biscuits as he or she could wish for!"Source

Apparently, this is a big politically incorrect flub on the part of Milkbone according to the rescue world out there. Those bones should be donated to the shelter by golly! Every last tasy morsel! Heck, the President can afford his own Milkbones! He doesn't need a donation! There are dogs dying in shelters that need Milkbones! If Milkbone isn't going to donate those free lifetime bones to the shelter in the First Dog's honor, then Barack himself should!

People, really? Are you serious? First off, can we be happy that Obama is going to be adopting a dog, and not buying one out of a pet store, or going to the first puppymill they find in the newspaper that can then brag on their website about how their puppies are so good -- even the President bought one! Nope. He said he's going to the shelter to adopt one. Is that not good enough?

And here's a guy who has dedicated and essentially given up his life to help this country ... heck, there's no way he could just walk the "First Dog" down the street now ... and if someone wants to give him free dog treats to welcome him into his new job, then so be it! I don't want his job, and I'm grateful that he's willing to do it.

Let's look at Milkbone. Here you have a company who has been around for a bazillion years, whose name is synonymous with dog treats, who doesn't "need" the publicity, and the rescuers are accusing them of a publicity stunt. Oh wait. Maybe it's the company that bought Milkbone out that needs the publicity. Some small company ... what's their name ... oh something like ... Del Monte? Yeah, maybe they need the publicity. Getting the picture? And here's how it works in the internet day and age. Someone finds the idea so repulsive, they go on a public chat board, mention it, get people riled up enough about it, so that Milkbone has to endure not one complaint on behalf of the community, but various individual email complaints by the same "voice" per se who took a whopping two minutes out of their busy life the minute they found something to complain about. So what does Milkbone do? They do what any other large company would do. They come up with a generic blurb and send it to those that sent in the email complaints, politely saying that they would forward it to management, and oh, by the way, in case you all didn't notice, we donate thousands of cases of dog treats every year to shelters across the nation. I guess that doesn't count either. (Neither does the fact that the company is so huge, it probably has to do what every other company has to do -- find things to donate to as a tax writeoff...) I'm sure Milkbone drops and steps on more treats in a day in the processing plant than Obama and his family would give a single dog in its lifetime. Or perhaps even a whole kennel worth of dogs.

If someone had to attach their name to the "First Dog," I'm glad it was Milk Bone. And if Milk Bone wants to give away free treats to someone, good on them. They do plenty in the way of helping pets through their donations and sponsorships and programs, etc. If they want to keep the "First Dog" in treats for the rest of its life (did I mention it will be a pound puppy?), then good on them. I don't see anyone else doing it. Just a bunch of people sitting around complaining about it.

I went to my surgeon yesterday that did the work on my arm. We had to close out the claim with the insurance company so the doctor needed to see me. We took some more x-rays, and the wrist looks fine despite the pain and soreness I am still experiencing. We discussed several different surgical options -- none of which I am willing to consider at this point.

He said the soreness on the inside of my elbow should go away and become much less sensitive over the next year, and in the meantime, gave me a sleeve to wear that has wonderful padding right where I need it. We did the WC paperwork and closed it all out. So it looks like a done deal.

Went to Walmart last night to pick up a few things. If that place ain't redneck country, I don't know what is. Billy Joe is making out with his sister in the aisle, while Mary Sue is taking care of her mother's first cousin's uncle's grandkid six days a week and claiming him as her own because she bought all the diapers this month. Egad.

I picked up some pillows for the trailer (that I take to dog trials ... ha ... this IS dog related after all!), and some toiletries, etc. I got a pair of cool fuzzy slippers although I don't think they will last very long. For $5, I felt I couldn't really go wrong. I found a $50 light set for the trailer, but I haven't bought it yet. I want to get the tongue welded first. I found a skinny little screwdriver to be able to open up my laminator and clear the jam. I want to be able to do the running orders for the S&S trial.

There are some things you just can't skimp on. I originally went to Walmart with the grandiose thoughts of getting some good gloves, wool socks and a raincoat -- none of which exists there. I will go to D&B over the weekend. The way I see it, they will be put to good use and worth spending a little bit of money on.

I feel good about my training this year. I was looking back at when I started training Echo, and I am glad that I made the decision to start fresh, pretend I knew nothing, and try the methods being offered to me instead of jumbling in my own "knowledge" in the mix. Now that we've had two complete crash & burns for trial experiences, I am hoping we got those out of the way and I can at least look like we've been learning something. I'm looking forward to the trial. Rumor has it, there will be another one in January, and one in February. I like a winter series. You can't beat the weather.

Happy tails, JD

P.S. - Hey BP, don't worry about your sheep. They'll come back ... I think. And if not, heck, you were blessed to know them, and you could talk about your experience of knowing them over and over and over for the NEXT fifteen years. New material! See? I think the old stories had something to do with a headache? I don't know. I can't remember.

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Now that I've been able to see the error of my evil ways, and have "seen the light," so to speak, I've found a great church nearby. They are always changing their sign, so I've made it a habit to drive by there every day. When they have good ones, like today, I'll take photos of them and post them for you all to read:

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Winter is coming! I am so excited! The 100 degree days are finally over for a few months! The leaves have all fallen, the nights are getting longer, the air is getting cooler, and there's a certain "feel" to the crisp days.

Monday, November 17, 2008

Speaking of trialing ... I stopped at Cabela's today. I had a store credit for $30 that I've had since the beginning of the year and hadn't done anything with it. Now I am the proud new owner of a pair of flannel-lined jeans. Yessiree Bob. So let's see ... my teeth are rotting out of my head at an alarming rate, my first tattoo is firmly in place, I know the words to more country music songs than Willie Nelson has forgotten, and my face is starting to look like a roadmap of Brooklyn. If the economy gets any worse, I'll be living in my trailer and calling McDonald's "fine dining." Oh my mother would be so proud.

On my way home tonight, I passed by my local church. The sign was a welcome site for sore eyes.

We worked dogs yesterday. It was gorgeous out!

Jack stopped by with Bailey (Spike's Mom):

Jaenne brought Mo ...

Eunis wasn't nuts about the idea and decided to see what Mo was made of.

Guess who won.

Jaenne's private dream is to be the Border Collie Whisperer.

Colleen worked Reena, and Roy got to come hang out, too! Hey Col ... we finally got some good pictures of Reena! Look! I have a whole series of them, so remind me next time you're here. I will burn a disk for you.

And Katy with Scout:

While I was out there, I snapped a few shots of my trailer.

Love that tongue, don't you?

Here you can see where the tire hanger thingy broke. Will need to figure out how to re-do that.

This is the part I call the "chastity belt." Obviously whoever built it was making absolutely certain that those little calves were not going to escape!